Sea sickness.

Hi. We have never been on a cruise before but have always put it off due to my partner being acutely fearful of sea sickness. She has been bad once on a tiny boat we travelled on from Lanzarote to fuertoventura.

I have explained these new boats are huge and are made to handle the seas.

We live in the U.K and I would like maybe a trip on the queen Mary2 to New York. A trip round the med to some city's would also be great. Any tips on good boats to use, times of year to avoid and areas of the boat that would be best to stay in to minimise the chance of sea sickness. Thanks All, any info would be of a great help.

I guess no itinerary can guarantee any sea to be calm. It really depends on the weather that is unpredictable. If your partner is sensitive to motion, I suggest bringing and taking Meclizine motion sickness meds a day before cruising. Your partner can consult the physician on this matter.

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The cabins that will have less motion are mid ship and on the lower decks.

I would pick a cruise ship itinerary that stays in known calm seas to see how your friend does before rushing headlong into a transatlantic trip on an ocean liner. A liner is not a cruise ship, they are build differently and they move differently - someone already susceptible to seasickness is far more likely to experience it on an ocean liner on a transatlantic cruise...unless you luck out and get smooth seas for the crossing.

And yes, as others have mentioned, geometry is important - midship staterooms on the absolute lowest possible deck will help minimize things.

One can get sea sick on large ships.

My recommendation is to come prepared to prevent nausea.

Also book a room on a lower deck and mid ship.

Keith

TR Here is a sea sick patch. Goes behind the ear. It's tiny and lasts for 3 days! Works great! Ask the dr. They have to be prescribed. Nondrowsy

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I get horribly motion sick. I throw up on roller coasters, get sick as a front seat passenger in a short car ride, planes make me queasy, and even the subway does me in for a quick ride between two stops. I have even gotten horribly sick as a driver of a car...if you have ever driven the Hana highway, you may know why. I was very worried about this. I brought a ton of stuff on our cruise on the NCL Getaway. Ginger, ginger tea, sea bands, bonine. I ended up using almost exclusively the bonine, with some ginger tea a few days. I took it at night before bed. I started a few days in advance. I will say, laying on my back made things horribly worse. I would immediately feel sick even rolling over from one side to the other, but on my side, I was fine. My daughter noticed the same thing. I was very aware of the ship's movement the entire trip, but was able to keep the motion sickness at bay except for a short period in the theater one night. And that night the seas were quite rough. If I can make it through a 7 night cruise and excitedly book another one...I think anyone can do it[emoji6].

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My advice is all of the above about getting a cabin in the middle of the ship. Also try not to get sick to begin with by taking the meds before you get on the ship. Go to your Dr and ask him for his advice on what to get. And start it before you step foot on the ship or get on a plane. Then take the meds for a few days or even the whole cruise unless it makes you tired and you have side effects from it. Ginger Ale and not being at the very front of the ship if it gets rough might also help if you start feeling quezzy. Good luck and I hope you have a wonderful time.

Husband gets queasy very occasionally, and takes avomine- this is also used by the Dr on P&O ships as an injection for anyone who is really ill. Also he's tried Stugeron... ask your pharmacist, as it might depend on any other meds your G.F might be taking.One idea for a cruise- try going for a week to Norway from Newcastle. It's a short crossing- we were across the North Sea less than a day after departing, and once you're inside the fjords, the water is usually really calm. Most of the time you'll be in these calm waters, so the motion is minimal.

Cruise ships are very different to ferries and small boats, though, so take a middle, low down cabin and try it!

Seasickness Queen here! You could visit your doctor for a patch. It can produce blurry vision and a dry mouth and some folks have to wean off them gradually. Seabands do help some, but have to be positioned correctly and I find them uncomfortable and bulky. Ginger helps some. I carry Gin Gin candy for rides at Disney World and I take a bunch on cruises. Non-Drowsy Dramamine is Ginger. Regular Dramamine is sleep producing. My favorite is Meclizine. It's the active ingredient in the prescription anti-dizzy medication Antivert and in the over-the-counter medications Bonine and Less Drowsy Dramamine. I buy Bonine and take half a tablet every morning of the cruise. That's usually enough unless I go on a small boat such as a catamaran or unless the sea is very rough. If I need more, I take 1/4 tablet. I have taken up to 2 1/2 in a day, but too much makes me sleepy. I went on a Fjord tour through the Gulf of Alaska. That boat rocked so violently that it went past the point of diminishing returns in enjoyment. I took too much Bonine and sipped ginger tea, but I was wishing I had packed seabands. Modern ships are quite stable and most people need nothing for seasickness. I happen to be really prone to it. Other things help, too: green apples, looking at the horizon (the reason I get a balcony room), and fresh air. Walmart sells a small bottle of aromatherapy and I've used it. I really don't think cabin placement makes a difference. I was in the front of a ship on my least seasick cruise. And I cruise. A lot. At least yearly for the past 20 years. Twice already this year. I don't let a little seasickness destroy my fun.

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Do not start with a transatlantic cruise!!! A week crossing an ocean is probably the most likely way to cause sea sickness. Start with a med cruise. Waters will be calmer than the open ocean and plenty of stops to get off the ship. I don't step onboard a cruise ship without meclizine. Start it a day or two before the cruise and twice a day during the cruise. Works great, no side effects for me. I've done the patch but it's harder to get (need prescription) and gives me dry mouth.

I would try a med cruise with sea sickness remedies before you try booking anything else.

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Take her on a test run: go down to Dover and take a round trip on the ferry to Calais. Low cost, low time-investment, way to see how she handles a fairly large vessel.

You know what they say: at first you think you're going to die...and then you start to worry that you won't.

Kidding aside- Queen Mary 2 is steady as a rock. That ship is literally more steady in 20 ft seas than normal flat bottom cruise ships are in calm water. Summer transatlantics are much calmer than the few winter ones they do. And a cabin lower down Mid ships will be the calmest- but seriously. Very little to worry about with QM2 when it comes to movement.

Seasickness Queen here! You could visit your doctor for a patch. It can produce blurry vision and a dry mouth and some folks have to wean off them gradually. Seabands do help some, but have to be positioned correctly and I find them uncomfortable and bulky. Ginger helps some. I carry Gin Gin candy for rides at Disney World and I take a bunch on cruises. Non-Drowsy Dramamine is Ginger. Regular Dramamine is sleep producing. My favorite is Meclizine. It's the active ingredient in the prescription anti-dizzy medication Antivert and in the over-the-counter medications Bonine and Less Drowsy Dramamine. I buy Bonine and take half a tablet every morning of the cruise. That's usually enough unless I go on a small boat such as a catamaran or unless the sea is very rough. If I need more, I take 1/4 tablet. I have taken up to 2 1/2 in a day, but too much makes me sleepy. I went on a Fjord tour through the Gulf of Alaska. That boat rocked so violently that it went past the point of diminishing returns in enjoyment. I took too much Bonine and sipped ginger tea, but I was wishing I had packed seabands. Modern ships are quite stable and most people need nothing for seasickness. I happen to be really prone to it. Other things help, too: green apples, looking at the horizon (the reason I get a balcony room), and fresh air. Walmart sells a small bottle of aromatherapy and I've used it. I really don't think cabin placement makes a difference. I was in the front of a ship on my least seasick cruise. And I cruise. A lot. At least yearly for the past 20 years. Twice already this year. I don't let a little seasickness destroy my fun.

 

 

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I thought I was the seasickness queen! I agree with all you say with two additions: I used the patch once very successfully. The second time it made me very sick and I've read a lot of horror stories since then so my last cruise was:

ginger dramamine every night at bed time. Bonine/antivert every 24 hours or however prescribed. I also wore the sea bands most of the time and every time we set sail I used Motion Eaze all natural oil behind my ear. I never got sea sick at all on that cruise! I'm sure there was movement as Hurricane Harvey was churning near us but I didn't feel it.

Be sure to search Cruise Critic boards because this is a hot topic and you may find other helpful hints.

If you use the patch, you should give yourself a day off it every so often. There have been more issues with using it for long periods of time.

For a "normal" cruise, I would take it off on port days.

I am "somewhat" prone to motion sickness. As a child it was worse, but I cannot twirl or ride a swing or merry go round. I don't do well on 3D ride simulators. I have been sick on small charter fishing vessels in rough seas. I felt nauseous on the ferry ride from Cozumel to Playa Del Carmen in the Caribbean, but held it together - several others were in rougher shape than I was.

I take 2 ginger tablets every morning (starting a few days before the cruise), and I bring both non drowsy and drowsy Drammamine. On the Pacific it can get rough, and one day I took the drowsy kind just in case, but that was the only time in 4 cruises now that I have felt anything.

Oh - and the wait staff brought us both green apples at the dining room on that Hawaii Pacific cruise. There were a lot of vacancies at dinner - because of the rougher seas. I think they do help.

Don

Welcome to Cruise Critic.

Have your friend talk to her doctor and ask what medication she can take for sea sickness. He knows her better than any of us here to recommend what may work for her.

Choose a cabin low and in the middle of the ship.

I can only speak to Carnival as they're all I've ever cruised with but I find their ships very stable. I second the recommendations to book midships, whatever ship/line you're on.

Here's a video that might help address the anxiety a little where I balance a penny on end to show how stable cruise ships are normally...

[YOUTUBE]c82ToiVTvOY[/YOUTUBE]

I get seasick easily too on small boats. But I haven't had trouble on ships. I take one Dramamine before I get on the ship, then I take one morning and one before bed. That's all I've needed, and towards the end of the trip I don't even need that. The funny thing is, after I get off the ship I get land sick, and wobble around for a couple of days. You can get a patch from the doctor, or use Dramamine and those seasick bands, but you really don't feel ships moving all that much.

I get seasick easily too on small boats. But I haven't had trouble on ships. I take one Dramamine before I get on the ship, then I take one morning and one before bed. That's all I've needed, and towards the end of the trip I don't even need that. The funny thing is, after I get off the ship I get land sick, and wobble around for a couple of days. You can get a patch from the doctor, or use Dramamine and those seasick bands, but you really don't feel ships moving all that much.

There are 3 types of Dramamine. Regular is Benadryl, Less Drowsy is Meclizine (antivert), and Nondrowsy is ginger. Which one do you use?

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Following!

(such great info! thank you all who are commenting!)

I can only speak to Carnival as they're all I've ever cruised with but I find their ships very stable. I second the recommendations to book midships, whatever ship/line you're on.

 

Here's a video that might help address the anxiety a little where I balance a penny on end to show how stable cruise ships are normally...

 

c82ToiVTvOY

Great video! I've got to share the video with some friends that are nervous about getting sea sick. Thanks!

I always used regular Benadryl a day before I got on the ship and for a few days into the cruise and didn't have a problem getting sick or being drowsy. The main thing is to NOT get sick in the first place by taking something to try and prevent it. Looking at the horizon, ginger ale and not being at the very front of the ship if it gets rough might help as well if you think you are getting a upset tummy.

I always used regular Benadryl a day before I got on the ship and for a few days into the cruise and didn't have a problem getting sick or being drowsy. The main thing is to NOT get sick in the first place by taking something to try and prevent it. Looking at the horizon, ginger ale and not being at the very front of the ship if it gets rough might help as well if you think you are getting a upset tummy.

Benadryl???? Benadryl is for allergies, has nothing to do with nausea or sea sickness. Do you mean Dramamine?

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Regular Dramamine is Diphenhydramine. That is Benadryl. Look it up.

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